Hezbollah: Lebanon bound by ceasefire, not obliged to negotiate with Israel

Lebanon’s Hezbollah declared on November 6 that it has “a legitimate right to resist [Israeli] occupation” and expressed full support for the Lebanese army, reiterating its commitment to defending the country’s sovereignty.

The group emphasised that while Lebanon remains bound by a ceasefire, it is under no obligation to engage in political negotiations with Israel.

The statement followed an incident last week in which Israeli forces crossed into southern Lebanon overnight, killing a municipal employee despite a US-brokered ceasefire. In response, President Joseph Aoun instructed the army to confront any further Israeli incursions.

“We affirm our legitimate right to resist occupation and aggression and to stand by our army and our people to protect the sovereignty of our country,” Hezbollah said.

The group also stressed that it was acting in self-defence against “an enemy that imposes war on our country, does not stop its attacks, and seeks to subjugate our state.”

The United States brokered a truce between Lebanon and Israel in November 2024, following more than a year of hostilities triggered by the war in Gaza. However, Israeli cross-border strikes have continued sporadically since then.

Meanwhile, Israel’s military has warned that Hezbollah is rebuilding its military capabilities in Lebanon, raising fears that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) could expand operations against the Iran-backed movement.

According to senior Israeli intelligence officials, Hezbollah is replenishing its weapons stockpiles and restoring smuggling routes through Syria, with logistical and financial assistance from Iran and Iraq.

Officials believe these rearmament activities are concentrated north of the Litani River, away from the Israeli border. Intelligence assessments shared with the Trump administration reportedly show that Hezbollah’s rebuilding efforts are outpacing the Lebanese army’s capacity to contain them. Israeli sources accuse the army of avoiding direct confrontation with Hezbollah, which continues to wield significant military and political influence in Lebanon.

Foreign intelligence reports suggest that some weapons have already reached Hezbollah via overland routes from Iraq through Syria. The IDF says it closely monitors these movements and conducts near-daily operations along the border to counter them.

Hezbollah has suffered heavy losses from recent Israeli strikes, which have killed around 400 of its fighters and destroyed dozens of its facilities, according to foreign media outlets. Despite these setbacks, defence officials believe Hezbollah’s current priority is to maintain its political and military influence within Lebanon, rather than to launch a new confrontation with Israel.

A senior Israeli defence official said Israel’s security posture has shifted since the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023.

“The IDF will act against any threat that emerges, regardless of the enemy’s motives,” the official said.

By Tamilla Hasanova